Indian Politics News

Yogi Adityanath Biography

Yogi Adityanath

Bharatiya Janata Party

Basic Info

About,Yogi Adityanath

Mahant Yogi Adityanath (Born on 5 June 1972),is an Indian priest and politician with an image as a Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) "firebrand".He was appointed as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, a state in north India, in March 2017 after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured majority in the 2017 state assembly elections in which he was a prominent campaigner.

He has been the Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh for five consecutive terms since 1998.Adityanath is also the Mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Math, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur, a position he has held since the death of his spiritual "father," Mahant Avaidyanath, in September 2014. He is also the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a militant youth organisation that has been involved in communal violence.

In the run-up to Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he said the alleged exodus of Hindus from Kairana and “Love Jihad” were important issues for the BJP.The new UP chief minister is a strong proponent of the "anti-Romeo squads".He has been saying that the squad will work towards restoring the pride of women.

"There are areas in western UP where girls can't go to school. The squad will work for their rights and ensure safety of women in the state," he had said earlier.

He was arrested for inciting Gorakhpur riots in 2007. In Gorakhpur riots of 2007, a Hindu boy was killed after some people opened fire on a Muslim procession that took place on the occasion of Moharam.When the youth succumbed to the injuries and died, Yogi Adityanath allegedly vowed to deliver justice to Hindus. He announced a torchlight procession and a “Shraddhanjali Sabha (pay homage)”.

Education & Background

Born as Ajay Singh Bisht in Garhwal of the then undivided Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath had a dramatic entry in public life in Gorakhpur some 23 years ago.It was early summer in Gorakhpur when a group of students had a brawl with a local cloth merchant, who took out his revolver at the college youths. Next day, a young priest was leading a huge rally of protesters on the streets of Gorakhpur, picketing the residence of the then Superintendent of Police.

This priest-turned-leader was Yogi Adityanath, who shot to fame in Purvanchal politics as angry young man.

Yogi Adityanath completed his graduation in science from Uttarakhand, At 22 in 1994, he was initiated by his guru Mahant Avaidyanath, who was the head priest at Goraksh Nath temple in Gorakhpur.

Those were the years when Purvanchal was trying to slip out of the grip of musclemen politicians Harishankar Tiwari and Virendra Pratap Shahi.

With the blessings Avaidyanath and riding on his influence in Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1998 and got elected for the first time with margin of over 26,000 votes.

Yogi Adityanath has not lost an election since. The five-time Lok Sabha member is yet to get elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

Political Career

Yogi Adityanath As Politician

Year 2002 was a turning point in Yogi Adityanath's political career as he emerged as a strong hardliner Hindutva leader. He was made an accused in the 2002 Mohan Mundera incident at Kushinagar district, where nearly 50 homes of Muslims were torched after a Hindu girl was allegedly raped. Opposition parties pointed fingers at Yogi Adityanath. But, he was not made an accused.

In 2005, Yogi Adityanath launched a 'purification drive' to re-convert Christians to Hinduism. Later, he claimed that he reconverted more than 5,000 people at Etah in UP. The same year, Yogi and his Hindu Yuva Vahini were accused of instigating communal violence in Mau.

In 2007, Yogi Adityanath launched a 'non-violent agitation' after a Hindu boy was killed when some miscreants opened fire during Moharram procession in Gorakhpur. He led a march and gave a speech vowing delivering justice despite prohibitory orders. He was arrested but his popularity touched new heights in Gorakhpur.

Later, Yogi Adityanath broke down in the Lok Sabha relating his arrest. The then Mulayam Singh Yadav government had suspended the senior police officials of Gorakhpur after the incident.

Yogi's Hindu Yuva Vahini launched retaliation after his arrest. Wide-scale violence took place in Gorakhpur, where two people lost their lives.

In 2014 parliamentary polls, Yogi Adityanath's image and influence added to Modi wave in BJP sweeping Uttar Pradesh. His contribution in Uttar Pradesh was such that many expected that Yogi would be rewarded with a cabinet berth at the Centre.

Yogi Adityanath As CM Of UP(2017)

He was a prominent campaigner for the BJP in the 2017 assembly elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh. He was appointed Chief Minister of the state on 19 March 2017 after the BJP won the assembly elections.

The illegal slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh faced shutdowns from the administration after his becoming the Chief Minister.Yogi ordered the forming of anti-romeo squads and imposed a blanket ban on cow-smuggling. He also imposed a stay on UPPSC results, exams and interviews till further order.